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No Put High Target for Tontowi / Lilyana

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Mix Double Tontowi Ahmad / Liliyana Natsir are not burdened with high target by coach Richard Mainaky, after their failure at the All England tournament last week.

"Seeing them especially Tontowi appearance at the All England, I do not want to burden a high target first (in Switzerland), because I rate Tontowi still easy to panic so can not control the tempo of the game," says Richard who accompany the players care to compete in Basel, Switzerland, Thursday.

"So I concentration from early rounds to advance to the next round one by one," added Richard after Tontowi / Liliyana, who was seeded fifth, won 21-11, 21-12 over the French double Baptiste Careme / Laura Choinet at the Swiss Open.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Mix Double Tontowi Ahmad / Liliyana Natsir are not burdened with high target by coach Richard Mainaky, after their failure at the All England tournament last week.

"Seeing them especially Tontowi appearance at the All England, I do not want to burden a high target first (in Switzerland), because I rate Tontowi still easy to panic so can not control the tempo of the game," says Richard who accompany the players care to compete in Basel, Switzerland, Thursday.

"So I concentration from early rounds to advance to the next round one by one," added Richard after Tontowi / Liliyana, who was seeded fifth, won 21-11, 21-12 over the French double Baptiste Careme / Laura Choinet at the Swiss Open.

Liliyana said that she was optimistic she would get along with new partner Tantowi. “But, we still have a long journey to walk on. We should not be satisfied of what we have gained today just yet.

“We need to stay focus because there are a lot of matches to come,” Liliyana said in a text message after the bout.

Indonesian mixed doubles’ coach Richard Maenaky said that he was proud of what his shuttlers did in India Open. “They performed well as taught during training sessions. The maximum target was actually just reaching semifinals.”

Tantowi, Liliyana Win Mixed Doubles Title in India Open

Indonesia’s doubles jinx in the Super Series officially came to an end on Sunday when Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir clinched the mixed doubles title at the India Open.

There was no doubt the country would win its first doubles event in the Super Series in nearly 16 months, as the final at New Delhi’s Siri Fort Complex featured two Indonesian teams.

In the end, however, it was Tontowi and Liliyana who prevailed, beating Fran Kurniawan and Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth 21-18, 23-21.

Liliyana had given Indonesia its last mixed doubles title in the top-tier Badminton World Federation series when she and Nova Widianto bagged the French Open in November 2009.

Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan also won the men’s doubles title in Paris. That was the last time an Indonesian pair won in the Super Series.

The India Open nearly followed the same script, but Angga Pratama and Ryan Agung Saputra’s incredible run in men’s doubles was halted in the final. The two 20-year-olds lost 21-17, 21-9 to Japan’s Hirokatsu Hashimoto and Noriyasu Hirata.

Liliyana said familiarity with the opponent gave them an edge.

“We’ve faced them a number of times, so we know each others’ style,” Liliyana said. “Whoever was ready, won. And I believe we were ready for them.”

When the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) decided to partner world champion Liliyana with the younger Tontowi last season, it was this type of result that it had in mind, although it took a little longer than anyone wanted for the partnership to pay dividends.

Before the India Open, Tontowi and Liliyana had not advanced past the quarterfinals in three top-tier events this season.

They were booted in the first round of the Malaysia Open, the quarterfinals of the Korean Open Super Series Premier and the second round of the All-England.

To advance to the New Delhi final, Tontowi and Liliyana beat fellow Indonesians Muhammad Rijal and Debby Susanto.

Tontowi and Liliyana were ahead 21-17, 15-9 when Rijal retired with an injured hip.

Liliyana said winning her first Super Series title with Tontowi was “important” to her teammate’s morale.

“It will give him more confidence to play in our next tournaments,” Liliyana said. “We’ve come a long way, I believe, and I hope we can achieve more and peak at the right time as we prepare for the Olympics next year.”